Workpiece Discharging Devices and Related Systems and Methods

ABSTRACT

A machine tool for processing workpieces includes a processing device from which processed products to be discharged can be produced from a workpiece; and a discharge device including a discharge flap that can be pivoted into a discharge position inclined downwards relative to a horizontal position in order to discharge processed products and which defines a discharge direction in the discharge position, the discharge flap comprising a part support disposed along the upper side of the discharge flap along which the processed products move during discharge in the discharge direction, where the part support has at least two support regions which extend in the discharge direction and which are configured to accommodate different types of processed products.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 14/812,215, filed Jul.29, 2015, which is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 13/178,815, filed Jul.8, 2011, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to European PatentApplication No. EP 10 169 041.0, filed on Jul. 9, 2010. The contents ofthese priority applications are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to workpiece discharging devices and relatedsystems and methods.

BACKGROUND

Japanese Patent Application No. JP 10-180474A discloses a punchingmachine, in which processing products are removed from the processingarea of a punching tool by a pivotable discharge flap. The dischargeflap has a support brush having a plurality of bundles of bristlesacting as a part support. The bristles of each bristle bundle aresurrounded by a shaft-like holder at the ends thereof remote from theprocessing products to be discharged. The shaft-like holders arethemselves arranged for pivoting about a horizontal axis. A pivotingmechanism which acts on the shaft-like holders of the bristle bundlesensures that the shaft-like holders and the bristle bundles of thesupport brush therewith are pivoted in a discharge direction about thehorizontal axis of the shaft-like holders as soon as the discharge flappivots downwards into the discharge position from the horizontal. Theprocessed products to be discharged move on the inclined bristle bundlesin a discharge direction. The inclination of the bristle bundles on thedischarge flap is intended to ensure that the relevant processingproducts are discharged in a process-reliable manner.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the invention, a discharge device for discharging aprocessed product in a machine tool for processing workpieces (e.g.,metal sheets) includes a discharge flap configured to be pivoted to adischarge position inclined downwards relative to a horizontal positionin order to discharge the processed product in a discharge direction, apart support arranged along an upper surface of the discharge flap alongwhich the processed product moves during discharge in the dischargedirection.

In some aspects of the invention, a machine tool for processingworkpieces (e.g., metal sheets) includes a processing device by whichproducts can be produced from a workpiece and a discharge device asdiscussed above.

In some aspects of the invention, a method for processing workpieces(e.g., metal sheets) includes positioning a workpiece relative to aprocessing device to undergo a workpiece processing operation andarranging a processed product resulting from the workpiece processingoperation on a support region of a part support of a discharge devicewhen the workpiece processing operation is finished.

In some aspects of the invention, a computer program product can be usedto carry out the steps of the method for processing workpieces (e.g.,metal sheets) includes discharging processed products produced by theworkpiece processing operation in a machine tool.

In some aspects of the invention, a part support at a discharge flap ofa discharge device includes support regions which are, in terms of theirproperties, adapted to the relevant different product types of processedproducts. Processed products may be of different types, for example, interms of their size, mass, and/or surface properties (e.g.,scratch-resistance). By the processed products and the support regionsof the part support being correspondingly associated with each other,different types of processed products can be discharged in a mannerwhich accounts for special characteristics of the products. A high levelof process reliability is associated with some aspects of the inventionin a number of regards. Since optimization of the discharge operation isachieved by the part support at the discharge flap being speciallyconstructed, supplementary devices which would be not only structurallycomplex but also susceptible to failure may be omitted. Furthermore, forthe support regions of the part support, there are selected propertieswhich help to ensure that the processed products are actually dischargedand do not remain on the discharge flap and then impede subsequentprocessing operations in the machine tool. The processing device of themachine tool may be integrated in the part support and/or be connectedto the discharge flap. Finally, a high level of process reliability canbe ensured in that the support regions of the part support of dischargedevices can be adapted in terms of the properties thereof to the wearcharacteristics both of the part support itself and of the processedproducts to be conveyed away or discharged. For example, support regionshaving high abrasion resistance serve to discharge abrasive processedproducts. Similarly, support regions which protect the processedproducts during the discharge operation can be provided for processedproducts having sensitive surfaces. In some aspects of the invention, acomputer program product serves to automate the machines and methodsused to discharge processed workpieces from machine tools.

There are a number of possibilities for adapting the support regions ofthe part support to discharge different types of processed products. Insome embodiments, different support regions can be produced fromdifferent materials and/or from surfaces having different surfaceproperties. For example, combining support regions of plastic materialsand support regions of metal is possible.

Additionally or alternatively, the support regions of the part supportcan be formed by support elements of different construction types orsupport elements of the same construction type but with differentdischarge characteristics for adaptation to different types of processedproducts. In some embodiments, support elements of differentconstruction types are, for example, support brushes, support balls,and/or support rollers. For instance, support brushes whose bristles orbristle bundles are produced from different plastics materials may beused as support elements of the same construction type but withdifferent discharge characteristics.

In some embodiments, the adaptation of the support regions of the partsupport to different types of processed products is carried out in thatsupport elements of the support regions are arranged so as to bedistributed over the support regions with different patterns. Forexample, the support elements of one of the support regions can bearranged in rows which extend in the discharge direction and which arespaced apart from each other transversely relative to the dischargedirection. If processed products have formations at the lower sidethereof and if the mutual spacing of the rows of support elements isgreater than the corresponding extent of the formation, the formationcan be introduced into the intermediate space between mutually adjacentsupport element rows. During its discharge movement, the relevantprocessed product is guided by the formation and the support elementrows adjacent thereto, and the formation is prevented from becominghooked on the support elements, which would impede the dischargeoperation. Processed products having a planar lower surface can also beconveyed away by means of support regions of the part support whosesupport elements are arranged in a pattern which is different from apattern of rows.

In some embodiments, at least one of the support regions of the partsupport is adapted to different types of processed products to be in theform of a support brush having support elements in the form of bristlesand/or bristle bundles. Support brushes have been found to beadvantageous in practice in a large number of applications. They offerdiverse possibilities for adaptation to the processed products to bedischarged.

In some embodiments, multiple support brushes are provided, and each ofthe support brushes is adapted to a specific type of processed product.Adaptation to the different types of processed products can be carriedout by the properties of the bristles and/or the bristle bundles of thesupport brushes being selected.

In some embodiments, the bristles and/or the bristle bundles of thesupport brushes adapted to different types of processed products areproduced from different materials and/or have different rigidity and/orhardness and/or have a different inclination relative to the dischargedirection. For instance, in order to carry away processed products whichare heavy and, at the same time, wear-resistant, it is advantageous touse bristles and/or bristle bundles having relatively great rigidity orhardness. In that application, soft bristles and bristle bundles wouldbe subjected to enormous wear and could consequently only achieve shortservice-lives. Soft bristles and bristle bundles can instead be used todischarge processed products which are lighter and consequently lessabrasive. The inclination of the bristles and bristle bundles of thesupport brushes relative to the discharge direction may vary withinbroad limits. It is possible to have an orientation of the bristles andbristle bundles which is perpendicular to the discharge direction butalso an inclination toward or away from the discharge direction.

The vertical displacement of support regions of the part support, insome embodiments, can ensure a permanent association of the processedproducts with the relevant support region. Processed products which areassociated with the support region located in a lower position cannotreach the support region at the higher position during the dischargemovement due to the vertical displacement. Processed products which areassociated with the higher discharge region do not come into contactwith the lower support region even if they move during the dischargemovement laterally in a limited manner in the direction towards thelower support region. As long as the majority of the relevant processedproducts remain on the higher support region, the processed products maypartially protrude laterally beyond the higher support region, but theprocessed products do not come to rest on the lower support region.

In some embodiments, processed products of a corresponding size can besupported at both sides of the central support region on the two outer,higher support regions without coming into contact with the centrallower support region. This is advantageous in cases in which workpiecesto be processed, typically metal sheets, have to be positioned relativeto a processing device for processing purposes and move during thepositioning movements also over the part support of the horizontallyorientated discharge flap. During the positioning movements relating toprocessing, the workpiece to be processed is supported on the outersupport regions whose properties (e.g., rigidity and wear resistance)are configured in accordance with the loads associated with positioningmovements of the type mentioned. Independently, the central supportregion used only for discharge purposes can be constructed in such amanner that allows for optimum discharge of processed products.

In some embodiments, the machine tool includes a positioning device toensure functionally reliable association of the processed products withthe support regions of the part support associated therewith.

In some embodiments, the device which positions workpieces to beprocessed relative to the processing device is used as the positioningdevice. In the case of machine tools for processing sheet metal, acoordinate guide of conventional construction type can be used as thepositioning device.

Typically, in cases in which relatively small processed products areproduced, such processed products can be supported only by theprocessing device after the workpieces have been processed and must thenbe transferred by the processing device to the associated support regionof the part support. That transfer can be brought about readily and in afunctionally reliable manner if the relevant support region of the partsupport is aligned with the workpiece support in the processing deviceor is arranged below that workpiece support. Under those circumstances,the processed products do not have to be moved over a step which wouldbe produced if the relevant support region of the part support were toprotrude upwards relative to the workpiece support in the processingdevice.

The devices, systems, and methods described herein can be used toincrease the process reliability of the discharge of processing productsin machine tools over conventional systems.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a machine tool for processing sheet metalprovided with a discharge device that includes a discharge flap.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the discharge device for the machine tool ofFIG. 1 in the closed position.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the discharge device of FIG. 2 in the dischargeposition.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the discharge flap of the discharge device ofFIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a part support of the discharge flap of FIGS.2 through 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional, perspective view of a part support of thedischarge flap of FIGS. 2 to 5, with a plane of section which extendsalong the line VI-VI in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a sectional, perspective view of another example of a partsupport of a discharge flap.

FIG. 8 is a sectional, perspective view of another example of a partsupport of a discharge flap.

FIG. 9 shows another example of a discharge flap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIG. 1, a machine tool 1 for processing metal sheets 2 has aC-shaped machine frame 3 having an upper frame leg 4 and a lower frameleg 5. The machine tool 1 is in the form of a combination machine andallows sheet metal both to be processed by punching and to be processedby laser. Therefore, a punch head 6 and a laser cutting head 7 areprovided as processing devices at the free end of the upper frame leg 4.

A punch die 8 acting as the lower tool is associated with the punch head6 and a laser die 9 is arranged opposite the laser cutting head 7 as theassociated processing device. The punch die 8 is provided on a fixedmachine table 10. The laser die 9 is arranged on a discharge flap 11which is itself embedded in the machine table 10.

Both the machine table 10 and the discharge flap 11 have a workpiecesupport at their upper sides. The workpiece support generally supportsthe sheet metal 2 while the sheet metal 2 is moved for processingpurposes. Two-axis horizontal sheet metal movements are produced by acoordinate guide 12 of conventional construction type, with which themetal sheet 2 to be processed is fixed by means of clamping lugs 13.

The workpiece support of the discharge flap 11 also supports, inaddition to the metal sheet 2 moved for processing purposes, processedproducts which are produced when the sheet metal is processed and whichare intended to be discharged from the vicinity of the laser cuttinghead 7 after production. Such a processed product 14 is illustrated inFIG. 1 in the form of a finished part which has been cut out of thesheet metal 2 by the laser cutting head 7 and the laser die 9.

The discharge flap 11 is part of a discharge device 15 (FIGS. 2 and 3).In addition to the discharge flap 11, the discharge device 15 includes apivot drive 16 in the form of a piston/cylinder unit which serves topivot the discharge flap 11 back and forth between a horizontal position(shown in FIG. 2) and a discharge position (shown in FIG. 3). In thedischarge position, the discharge flap 11 is inclined downwards relativeto the horizontal position and thereby defines a discharge direction 17,in which the processed products 14 move during discharge under theaction of gravitational force. Similar to the remaining structural unitsof the machine tool 1, the discharge device 15 is also numericallycontrolled. A programmable CNC control 18 is provided for that purpose.

Various embodiments are possible for the discharge flap 11. Theindividual construction types of the discharge flap 11 differ in termsof the construction of a part support, on which the processed productsmove during discharge in the discharge direction 17. Typically, the partsupports have multiple different support regions which extend in thedischarge direction 17 and which are, in terms of their properties,adapted to different types of processed products 14.

A part support 19 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 as a component of thedischarge flap 11 and is shown in FIGS. 4 through 6 as an individualcomponent not connected to a discharge flap 11.

As shown in FIG. 5, the part support 19 has a base plate 20 on which alarge number of support elements in the form of bristle bundles 21 areanchored.

The part support 19 includes three support regions 22, 23, 24 which arearranged beside each other transversely to the discharge direction 17.The two outer support regions 22, 24 are positioned to the sides of thecentral support region 23 and protrude toward the processed products 14.Each of the support regions 22, 23, 24 is in the form of a supportbrush. The support regions 22, 24 are configured to support certaintypes of processed products, while the support region 23 is adapted tosupport other types of processed products 14.

A number of measures are taken in the design of the support regions 22,23, 24 of the part support 19 for adapting them to support differenttypes of processed products 14. Firstly, the bristle bundles 21 of theouter support regions 22, 24 are arranged in a pattern different fromthat of the bristle bundles 21 of the central support region 23.Although the bristle bundles 21 of all support regions 22, 23, 24 arearranged in rows which extend in the discharge direction 17, unlike inthe central support region 23, mutually adjacent bristle bundle rows ofthe outer support regions 22, 24 are displaced relative to each other inthe discharge direction 17 by half the spacing of two bristle bundles.As shown in FIG. 4, this results in a square arrangement of the bristlebundles 21 in the central support region 23 that is aligned with thedischarge direction 17 and a square arrangement of the bristle bundles21 in the outer support regions 22, 24 that includes larger squares thatare arranged approximately 45° from the discharge direction 17. Sincethe intermediate spaces between the bristle bundle rows of the centralsupport region 23 extend continuously in the discharge direction 17, thecentral support region 23 is particularly suitable for dischargingprocessed products 14 which have a projection (e.g., a formation) alongthe lower side of the processed product 14 directed towards the partsupport 19. Such a projection having corresponding dimensions mayarrange itself in the intermediate space between two mutually adjacentbristle bundle rows and then move without obstruction in the dischargedirection 17 during the discharge movement of the relevant processedproduct 14. Consequently, the discharge movement of the processedproduct 14 is not obstructed by the projection at the lower sidethereof.

Another measure for adaptation to different types of processed products14 involves sizing of the outer support regions 22, 24 and the centralsupport region 23. Due to its smaller width, the support region 23 istypically used to discharge processed products 14 which have smallerdimensions than the processed products 14 which are associated with theouter support regions 22, 24.

Finally, adaptation to different types of processed products is alsocarried out by the properties of the bristle bundles 21 of the supportregions 22, 24 and the bristle bundles 21 of the support region 23.Since the central support region 23 is reserved for relatively small andconsequently also relatively light processed products 14 whereas theouter support regions 22, 24 typically support relatively large andconsequently relatively heavy processed products 14, the bristle bundles21 of the central support region 23 have a lower level of rigidity orhardness than the bristle bundles 21 of the outer support regions 22,24. Due to the softness of its bristle bundles 21, the central supportregion 23 is also particularly suitable for discharging processedproducts 14 having sensitive surfaces. The outer support regions 22, 24can also readily support a metal sheet 2 during processing due to thehardness of the bristle bundles 21 and the associated wear resistance.Due to the vertical displacement of the outer support regions 22, 24relative to the central support region 23, a metal sheet 2 moved overthe outer support regions 22, 24 does not come into contact with thecentral support region 23 and bring about undesirable wear of thecentral support region 23. The different rigidity or hardness of thebristle bundles 21 may be brought about by forming the bristle bundles21 of the outer support regions 22, 24 of thicker individual bristlesthan the bristle bundles 21 of the central support region 23. It is alsopossible to produce the bristle bundles 21 of the central support region23 from softer plastics materials than the bristle bundles 21 of theouter support regions 22, 24 or to vary the number of individualbristles per bristle bundle 21 in accordance with the desired rigidityor hardness.

As shown in FIG. 6, the bristle bundles 21 of all the support regions22, 23, 24 extend on the part support 19 perpendicularly to thedischarge direction 17. In that regard, a part support 29 shown in FIG.7 and a part support 39 shown in FIG. 8 differ from the part support 19shown in FIG. 6. The bristle bundles 21 of the central support region 23are inclined toward the discharge direction 17 in the part support 29shown in FIG. 7 and are inclined away from the discharge direction 17 inthe part support 39 shown in FIG. 8. The bristle bundles 21 of the outersupport regions 22, 24 in FIGS. 6-8 extend perpendicularly to thedischarge direction 17. Both in the case of inclination of the bristlebundles 21 in the discharge direction 17 and in the case of inclinationof the bristle bundles 21 in the opposite direction, a smaller movementresistance is imposed on the processed product 14 to be discharged thanin an orientation of the bristle bundles 21 that is perpendicular to thedischarge direction 17. Consequently, the central support regions 23 ofthe part supports 29, 39 are typically used for discharging lightprocessed products 14 whereas the outer support regions 22, 24 of thepart supports 29, 39 are typically used for discharging heavy processedproducts 14.

FIG. 9 shows a part support 49 whose support regions 22, 23, 24 areproduced from different materials for adaptation to different types ofprocessed products 14. As in the case of the part supports 19, 29, 39,the outer support regions 22, 24 are constructed as support brushes inthe part support 49. Unlike the above-described construction types,however, a support plate is provided in the part support 49 as a centralsupport region 23. The support plate of the central support region 23 ofthe part support 49 is also lowered relative to the outer supportregions 22, 24. Due to its smooth surface, the support plate of the partsupport 49 provides only a small movement resistance to processedproducts 14 which move on the support plate in the discharge direction17. Therefore, the central support region 23 of the part support 49 canbe used for discharging light and/or small processed products 14.

Irrespective of the construction type of the part support used, thelaser die 9 acting as a processing device for processing sheet metal isfitted to the discharge flap 11. Consequently, the laser die 9 ispivoted together with the discharge flap 11.

When a metal sheet workpiece 2 is processed, the metal sheet 2 ispositioned relative to the laser die 9 by the coordinate guide 12 actingas a positioning device in such a manner that the processed product 14produced during the sheet metal processing operation comes to rest onthe support region 22, 23, 24 of the part support 19, 29, 39, 49provided to discharge the relevant processed product 14 after thedischarge flap 11 has been pivoted into the discharge position. Ifprocessed products 14 having small dimensions are produced during thesheet metal processing operation, they are supported only on the upperside of the laser die 9 which acts as a support for processed products14 after the sheet metal processing operation has been finished. Inorder to ensure that such processed products 14 having small dimensionsreach the central support region 23 provided for discharging small partsafter the discharge flap 11 has been pivoted into the dischargeposition, the upper side of the laser die 9 is slightly raised relativeto the support region 23 of the part supports 19, 29, 39, 49.Consequently, the processed products 14 having small dimensions do nothave to overcome a step, which could obstruct a discharge movement,during their movement in the discharge direction 17 between the laserdie 9 and the support region 23. Alternatively, the upper side of thelaser die 9 can be aligned with the upper side of the support region 23.

As discussed above, the workpiece discharging devices and relatedsystems described herein can include a computer product having a code(or algorithm) which can be adjusted for performing the steps of theabove-described workpiece processing and discharging methods.

Implementations of the subject matter and the operations described inthis specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry,or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structuresdisclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or incombinations of one or more of them. Implementations of the subjectmatter described in this specification can be implemented as one or morecomputer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer programinstructions, encoded on computer storage medium for execution by, or tocontrol the operation of, data processing apparatus. Alternatively or inaddition, the program instructions can be encoded on an artificiallygenerated propagated signal, for example, a machine-generatedelectrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal, that is generated toencode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus forexecution by a data processing apparatus. A computer storage medium canbe, or be included in, a computer-readable storage device, acomputer-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memoryarray or device, or a combination of one or more of them. Moreover,while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal, a computerstorage medium can be a source or destination of computer programinstructions encoded in an artificially generated propagated signal. Thecomputer storage medium can also be, or be included in, one or moreseparate physical components or media (for example, multiple CDs, disks,or other storage devices).

The operations described in this specification can be implemented asoperations performed by a data processing apparatus on data stored onone or more computer-readable storage devices or received from othersources.

The term “data processing apparatus” encompasses all kinds of apparatus,devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example aprogrammable processor, a computer, a system on a chip, or multipleones, or combinations, of the foregoing. The apparatus can includespecial purpose logic circuitry, for example, an FPGA (fieldprogrammable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integratedcircuit). The apparatus can also include, in addition to hardware, codethat creates an execution environment for the computer program inquestion, for example, code that constitutes processor firmware, aprotocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, across-platform runtime environment, a virtual machine, or a combinationof one or more of them. The apparatus and execution environment canrealize various different computing model infrastructures, such as webservices, distributed computing and grid computing infrastructures.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, declarative orprocedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as astandalone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, orother unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram may, but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. Aprogram can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programsor data (for example, one or more scripts stored in a markup languagedocument), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or inmultiple coordinated files (for example, files that store one or moremodules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer program can bedeployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers thatare located at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

The processes described in this specification can be performed by one ormore programmable processors executing one or more computer programs toperform actions by operating on input data and generating output. Theprocesses can also be performed by, and apparatus can also beimplemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, for example, an FPGA(field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specificintegrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing actions in accordance with instructions andone or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally,a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive datafrom or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices forstoring data, for example, magnetic, magneto optical disks, or opticaldisks. However, a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, acomputer can be embedded in another device, for example, a mobiletelephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio or videoplayer, a game console, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or aportable storage device (for example, a universal serial bus (USB) flashdrive), to name just a few. Devices suitable for storing computerprogram instructions and data include all forms of nonvolatile memory,media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductormemory devices, for example, EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices;magnetic disks, for example, internal hard disks or removable disks;magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor andthe memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purposelogic circuitry.

A number of embodiments of the invention have been described.Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the followingclaims.

1-5. (canceled)
 6. A computer storage medium encoded with a computerprogram, the computer program comprising instructions that when executedby one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to performoperations, comprising: positioning a workpiece relative to a processingdevice to undergo a workpiece processing operation; wherein theworkpiece is positioned in such a manner that a processed productresulting from the workpiece processing operation is arranged on asupport region of a part support of a discharge device when theworkpiece processing operation is finished, the support region being therelevant one of a first support region and a second support region, thefirst support region being configured to accommodate a different type ofprocessed products than the second support region.
 7. The computerstorage medium according to claim 6, wherein the first and secondsupport regions extend in a discharge direction, the first supportregion being configured to accommodate a first type of processed productand the second support region being configured to accommodate a secondtype of processed product that is different than the first type ofprocessed product.
 8. The computer storage medium according to claim 7,wherein the first support region has different surface properties thanthe second support region.
 9. The computer storage medium according toclaim 7, wherein one of the first and second support regions protrudestowards the processed product to a greater extent than the other of thefirst and second support regions.
 10. The computer storage mediumaccording to claim 7, wherein the first support region is constructed ofa support brush comprising one or both of first bristles and firstbristle bundles and the second support region is constructed of asupport brush comprising one or both of second bristles and secondbristle bundles, the one or both of the first bristles and the firstbristle bundles having one or more of a different material type, adifferent rigidity, a different hardness, and a different orientationthan the one or both of the second bristles and the second bristlebundles, respectively.
 11. The computer storage medium according toclaim 7, wherein the first support region has first propertiesconfigured to support the first type of processed product such that thefirst support region is configured to move a processed product of thefirst type in the discharge direction, and wherein the second supportregion has second properties configured to support the second type ofprocessed product such that the second support region is configured tomove a processed product of the second type in the discharge direction.12. The computer storage medium according to claim 6, wherein the firstsupport region has a different material composition than the secondsupport region.
 13. The computer storage medium according to claim 6,wherein the first and second support regions comprise support elements,at least one support element of the first support region having adifferent construction type than at least one support element of thesecond support region.
 14. The computer storage medium according toclaim 6, wherein the first and second support regions comprise supportelements, the support elements of the first support region beingarranged in a first pattern along the first support region and thesupport elements of the second support region being arranged in a secondpattern along the second support region, and the first pattern beingdifferent than the second pattern.
 15. The computer storage mediumaccording to claim 6, wherein the part support further comprises a thirdsupport region, wherein the second support region is arranged betweenthe first support region and the third support region in a directiontransverse to the discharge direction, and the first support region andthe third support region project towards the processed product to agreater extent than the second support region.
 16. A computer storagemedium encoded with a computer program, the computer program comprisinginstructions that when executed by one or more computers, cause the oneor more computers to perform operations, comprising: positioning aworkpiece relative to a processing device to undergo a workpieceprocessing operation; wherein the processing device is fitted to adischarge flap of a discharge device, the discharge flap beingconfigured to be pivoted into a discharge position inclined downwardrelative to a horizontal position and the discharge flap comprising onan upper side thereof a part support; wherein the part support isconfigured to accommodate processed products resulting from theworkpiece processing operation and includes a first support region and asecond support region, the first support region being configured toaccommodate a different type of processed products than the secondsupport region; and wherein the workpiece is positioned in such a mannerthat a processed product resulting from the workpiece processingoperation is arranged on an upper side of the processing device when theworkpiece processing operation is finished, and the processed product istransferred from the upper side of the processing device to the relevantone of the first and the second support regions after the discharge flaphas been pivoted into the discharge position.